By IANS,
Mumbai : A key Indian equities index shut shop 2.31 percent up Monday, thanks to the strong buying interest in blue chip stocks like SBI, Reliance Infra and Reliance Industries. In the process, it made up most of the last week’s 2.87 percent loss.
The 30-scrip benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, which opened at 16,687.32 points, shut shop at 17,026.67, up 384.01 points or 2.31 percent from Friday’s closing figure of 16,642.66.
The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too ended in the green at 5,054.25 points, up 2.21 percent.
Broader market indices also closed in the positive terrain, with the BSE midcap index moving up 1.22 percent and the BSE smallcap index closing 1.05 percent higher.
Consumer durables, IT, banking and telecom stocks found favour among buyers. Reliance Industries’ scrip was up after Mukesh Ambani termed an olive branch offered by Anil Ambani as a “positive indicator”.
The market breadth was positive with 1,627 stocks advancing, 1,108 declining and 94 remaining unchanged.
Among the top gainers were SBI, up 5.16 percent at Rs.2,172.55; Reliance Infra, up 5 percent at Rs.1,357; Wipro, up 3.79 percent at Rs.537.80; and ITC, up 3.74 percent at Rs.258.10.
Reliance Industries was another major gainer at Rs.580.60, up 3.19 percent or Rs.67.05.
There were only three major losers: Hero Honda, down 0.9 percent at Rs.1,630.55; Reliance Communications, down 0.62 percent at Rs.247.80; and BHEL down 0.21 percent at Rs.2,424.20.
According to data with the regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors bought shares worth $53.9 million Monday.
Other Asian markets were trading mixed.
The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 183.92 points or 1.87 percent higher at 10,016.39 points.
The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, ended 200.09 points or 0.93 percent lower at 21,299.3 points.
The Kospi, benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, was in the red as well at 1,639.81 points, down 6.98 points or 0.42 percent.
At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the benchmark SSE Composite shut shop 0.59 percent down at 2,894.48 points.
European markets were ruling firm.
In Britain, the FTSE 100 index was ruling 1.24 percent higher at 5,225.65 points, while its French peer, the CAC 40, was up 1.54 percent at 3,858.03 points.
Germany’s DAX was ruling at 5,813.62 points, up 1.78 percent.